This week's recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

"Maybe it's the sense of danger that reels you in at first. The crazy name, the wild picture slapped on the bottle. Before you know it, you're on for the ride, and the best ones leave you reduced to a sweaty and speechless mess. When it's finally over, you can't help but want more.

"I'm talking about hot sauce, a virtual thrill ride for the taste buds. And for fans, nothing beats the feeling.

Homemade hot sauce is "amazingly simple. A purée of chiles and salt, thinned perhaps with vinegar or water, maybe a secret ingredient or blend of spices thrown in for good measure. Voila."

"Unless, of course, you're at Slanted Door, Charles Phan's terrific restaurant in San Francisco. Slanted Door has always been different — modern, hip, uncompromising. It was one of the first Asian restaurants to buy the same quality ingredients that Chez Panisse or Zuni Cafe might use. And it was also one of the first, if not the first, to have a serious wine list."

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